Mr. Stéphane Perrault at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee

The right to vote is the most fundamental expression of autonomy that we have in our political system. We hear that a lot from voters with disabilities. They want to not only vote but to vote independently. For them, it's a very important issue of dignity. That's part of their autonomy as Canadians, to be equal with others. That's not just true for people with disabilities. I think the same is true for any voter who would be required to ask somebody else's permission, or to ask somebody else to attest or vouch—it doesn't matter which procedure—to allow them to vote. If we can find ways to minimize that, we maximize the circumstances in which a person can vote independently. I think that's an important issue.